Q. I noticed what seems to be a temporary scaffold built under the upper dome of the Ypsilanti water tower. What is its purpose, and how was it installed? If one could access the outside of the round windows installed in the lower vertical shell and look in, what would one see?
A. What appears to be a temporary scaffold has been there since the tower was built in 1889. It provides a walkway for maintenance work.
From the windows one would spy impressive stone walls and a network of stairways to the top of the tank, (which holds 250,000 gallons of water), with a very narrow stairway that goes from there to the top of the tower. From the inside, the view out is vast; even Detroit’s skyline can be glimpsed.
